Mower Prices: Good Grief!

I just sold my '05 SuperZ. It's a 60" with the 26hp LC Kawasaki. I wanted to get a 54" this time since many of my properties would actually be easier to handle with a 54" deck. The biggest Kawasaki you can get with the 54" deck is the air-cooled 25hp. So my dealer (a very good dealer) calls me today with pricing. A 54" SuperZ with the 25hp Kawasaki, suspension seat and flex forks was going to cost me just over $9,000 plus tax. I think the final price was getting close to $10,000!

What gets me is this is a 25hp air-cooled Kawasaki, not LC or DFI. It's a 54" deck, not 60" or larger. Yes, it's the SuperZ and not just a regular Z but still, good grief!

One thing it did get me to do. I'm taking out an 820 Deere Monday for a demo. It's also a 25hp Kawasaki with the 54" deck but it's also just over a $1000 cheaper. When was the last time someone bought a comparable model John Deere product just because it was cheaper?

Mower prices are insane. Way, way overpriced and the manufacturers know it. LCO's as a whole will complain about lowballers all the while being taken to the cleaners by their local dealer without a peep. Somewhere there became a dumb theory that you need to be a sweet little boy to your dealers so you can get your equipment serviced the day you take it in. For the price you pay to get that status w/ the dealer you might as just well burn money. It's an industry wide problem.

Quick36 is one of the only business doing things the right way...not hard to do when mower prices have been driven up so hard by idiots that manufacturers know that can pick whatever MSRP they want and routinely get that price on sales.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the LORD

Hey, I know people are getting tired of me pushing these things, but I love them, and we are out selling alot of other brands in our area right now! Bad Boy Lightning 52" 26hp Liquid-Cooled Kawasaki 2.38 guage 1/4 in" deck, 4 wheel easy ride system, the $500 air ride Michigan seat, 14mph top speed, all for a grand total of $7495.00!! retail. I am a proud owner of 3 now with the 52" 26hp being my personal favorite. It cuts excellent and makes alot of these other brands look bad with their over kill attitude and use of just sheer overbuilt power. That unit has the 12cc parker pumps, and while they don't have a 3 or 4 year limited warranty like some of the other companies have, they have a basic no gimmick, give it to you straight warranty. The factory can over night parts to your house, and the ride is almost as good as the Ferris. As far as the exmark goes, BB utilizies the same type of air baffle system on their deck to give it a supreme cutting ability. I actually saw a poor guy on an exmark today at Wal-mart in Longview getting beat to death on the rough area they have to mow, I was at the red light with my $11000 Cat Diesel BB on the trailer thinking to myself that he prolly paid the same money for the kohler engine that was powering that little thing. If I wasn't in such a hurry, I would have pulled over and offered a demo to help the guy out...lol. The funniest thing if you compare side to side with the Ferris is the deck and the price. The Ferris has a 10 guage, and looks pretty sad sitting next to the BB......then you see the price....geez

I am a Hustler fan all the way however with the economy the way it is I will be saving every dollar I can. People can tout about quality of cut all they want but I will go for whatever is the best deal. Hustler and Exmark probably will not be on my list. I know people that have mowers from Gravely to Scag and they all seem to cut just the same on Bermuda and St. Augustine down here in Louisana

I am a Hustler fan all the way however with the economy the way it is I will be saving every dollar I can. People can tout about quality of cut all they want but I will go for whatever is the best deal. Hustler and Exmark probably will not be on my list. I know people that have mowers from Gravely to Scag and they all seem to cut just the same on Bermuda and St. Augustine down here in Louisana

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Hey man, the BB's are well worth a gander and a demo, the company has come a long way these past couple of years, and is one of the only companies that are going out of there way for the individual customer. You would not believe the amount of customer and dealer feedback these guys lood at and address at their meetings. They are constantly developing their product, and each year there has been changed to the product line for improvement. Right now at this point in time, BB offers the best build quality, ride, cut, and speed for the money. There is no comparison. Out of the whole line side by side with all of the other mowers, the only comparison right now that I would personnally look at a different mower would be the entry level $4995 ZT model with 7 guage 60" deck and with the 26hp Briggs. The only mower out there that would give it a run for its money is the Freedom Z with the little 23hp Kawaski. The rest of their line with the motor options and build quality offered have no competition within $2000. I mean come on, 30hp Kohler Command unit $6395, 26hp lc Kawa 12cc pumps $7495, big 16cc 27hp LC Kawasaki for $8795, the 28hp Cat diesel for $11295, and the giant 35hp 4 cylinder Cat Diesel Powerplant for $12195....come on, they have lost their mind. Right now, their units for what is offered $ for $ are the absolute best buy in the commercial ZT market today. sorry for my rant, i hear you on the prices and the way the market is going, it just shows you how BB really wants your business. Any manufacture out there would agree that the Bad Boy Mower is Overbuilt to any market standard, but the funny thing is they are priced cheaper than anything in the market...lol. All from a company that has no debt whatsoever, and who is growing to levels of growth that most companies only dream too achieve. Asside from a quirky name and a bad a%& attitude, they are the complete package. Sorry, I just believe in the product, and I feel they are the best option available. Gotta go, I have a new proud owner of a 26hp lightning picking up his new mower @10, and have to get up early in the morning to deliver 1 more and do 3 demoes tomorrow, Again we are in an area of around 10,000 people, and dealers around here can't believe the ratio of Bad Boy owners...lol. We sold atleast 1 mower a day this week, and 2 on a couple others. Almost all were lightnings.